# Fairyhouse Winter Festival 2026: Hatton's Grace & Drinmore Race Times and Guide _Fairyhouse's Winter Festival: the Hatton's Grace and Drinmore Grade 1s, with dates, recent winners, trends, TV and the raceday guide._ *Source: [https://stablebet.co.uk/racing-news/fairyhouse-winter-festival/](https://stablebet.co.uk/racing-news/fairyhouse-winter-festival/) · last updated 2026-10-09* # Fairyhouse Winter Festival 2026 The **Winter Festival** is Fairyhouse's two-day meeting at the start of the Irish jumps winter, over a Saturday and a Sunday in late November or early December. It carries two Grade 1 races, the **Hatton's Grace Hurdle** and the **Drinmore Novice Chase**, along with the Grade 2 **Royal Bond Novice Hurdle**. The meeting is sponsored by BAR 1 Betting, formerly Bar One Racing, whose involvement dates to 2006. The 2026 meeting starts on **Saturday 28 November 2026**. Racecards, off times and going are confirmed in the days before, and this page adds them as they are published. ## At a glance - **Course:** Fairyhouse, Ratoath, County Meath, about 25km north-west of Dublin - **Days:** two, Saturday and Sunday - **Hatton's Grace Hurdle:** Grade 1, 2m 4f, first run 1994 - **Drinmore Novice Chase:** Grade 1, 2m 4f, first run 1994 - **Royal Bond Novice Hurdle:** Grade 2, 2m - **Television:** Racing TV Below: the 2026 details, each feature race with its recent winners and trends, how to watch, and the day out. The [Fairyhouse course guide](/irish-racecourses/fairyhouse/) covers the track itself. ## The 2026 meeting # The 2026 meeting | Detail | Value | |---|---| | **Meeting starts** | Saturday 28 November 2026 | | **First race** | TBA | | **Going** | TBA | | **Days** | Saturday and Sunday | Fairyhouse names the Hatton's Grace, the Drinmore and the Royal Bond for the 2026 meeting but has not yet said which day each is run. All three were run on the Sunday in every year from 2016 to 2025, so expect them on the second day, and check the card once it is published. ### Where the meeting fits The Winter Festival is the first big Irish weekend of the jumps winter, and its form is read all the way to March. The next stop is the [Leopardstown Christmas Festival](/festivals/leopardstown-christmas-festival/), four days from St Stephen's Day, and then the [Dublin Racing Festival](/festivals/dublin-racing-festival/) at the end of January. Our [festivals and big races board](/festivals/) has every big meeting coming up, soonest first. Results for every race go on our [racing results](/racing-results/) page each evening, and this page adds the feature-race results within 24 hours. ## The Hatton's Grace Hurdle # The Hatton's Grace Hurdle The Hatton's Grace is a Grade 1 hurdle over 2m 4f with twelve hurdles, for horses aged four and over. It is named after Hatton's Grace, the three-time Champion Hurdle winner trained by Vincent O'Brien, and has been a Grade 1 throughout its history since it was first run in 1994. Good hurdlers come back for it. Apple's Jade (2016 to 2018) and Honeysuckle (2019 to 2021) each won it three years running, and Teahupoo won it in 2022, 2023 and 2025. James Bowe and Gordon Elliott have trained six winners each, and Jack Kennedy has ridden five. ## The Drinmore Novice Chase # The Drinmore Novice Chase The Drinmore is a Grade 1 chase for novices over 2m 4f and sixteen fences. It has been run in its present form since 1994, when it replaced an earlier Drinmore Chase. It is an early test for the season's best novice chasers, which is why its winners are followed through the winter. Gordon Elliott has trained nine winners since 1994, and six of the ten from 2016 to 2025. Davy Russell is the leading jockey, with four wins. ## The Royal Bond Novice Hurdle # The Royal Bond Novice Hurdle The Royal Bond is a novices' hurdle over 2m and ten hurdles, named after Royal Bond, a horse trained by Arthur Moore. It was a Grade 1 from its first running in 1994 until 2023, and has been a Grade 2 since 2024, so an older guide that counts three Grade 1s at the meeting is out of date. Willie Mullins is the race's leading trainer with ten wins, the latest Tounsivator in 2024. Gordon Elliott (five) and Mullins (four) trained nine of the ten winners from 2016 to 2025. ## How to watch and where to bet # How to watch and where to bet Fairyhouse is a Racing TV course, and the Winter Festival's Grade 1s are shown on Racing TV. The off times are confirmed in the week of the meeting, and this page shows the first race time above as soon as it is published. Fields in the feature races are small: four to nine runners in the Hatton's Grace and four to eleven in the Drinmore over the last ten runnings. Two things matter more than the size of a welcome offer: - **Best odds guaranteed.** In a small field the early price can move a long way. A BOG bookmaker pays the starting price if it is bigger than the price you took. See our [best BOG bookmakers](/bookmakers/best-bog-bookmakers/). - **Free bets and their terms.** Check the minimum odds and the expiry before you claim. Our [free bet offers](/bookmakers/best-free-bet-offers/) page compares them. 18+. Bet only what you can afford to lose. If gambling stops being fun, [BeGambleAware](https://www.begambleaware.org/) offers free, confidential help. ## Raceday at Fairyhouse in winter # Raceday at Fairyhouse in winter Fairyhouse is on the R155 near Ratoath, about 3km off the M3. Bus Éireann's 105 service stops outside the course, and a free shuttle bus runs to the Winter Festival from M3 Parkway station, which has a direct line from Dublin Connolly. There is live music in the festival marquee after racing. Dress for a cold afternoon at the end of November. For getting there, the enclosures and food, read our [day out at Fairyhouse](/irish-racecourses/fairyhouse/a-day-out-at-fairyhouse/) guide. The [Fairyhouse betting guide](/irish-racecourses/fairyhouse/fairyhouse-betting-guide/) covers the course angles, and the [Fairyhouse racecourse guide](/irish-racecourses/fairyhouse/fairyhouse-racecourse-complete-guide/) explains the track. ## Frequently asked questions # Frequently asked questions ### When is the Fairyhouse Winter Festival 2026? It starts on Saturday 28 November 2026 and runs over the Saturday and Sunday. The feature races were run on the Sunday in every year from 2016 to 2025; the course confirms the order of racing when the card is published. ### What are the Grade 1 races at the Winter Festival? Two: the Hatton's Grace Hurdle, a Grade 1 hurdle over 2m 4f, and the Drinmore Novice Chase, a Grade 1 novice chase over 2m 4f. ### Is the Royal Bond still a Grade 1? No. It was a Grade 1 until 2023 and has been a Grade 2 since 2024. ### Which horses have won the Hatton's Grace three times? Limestone Lad, Solerina, Apple's Jade, Honeysuckle and Teahupoo. ### Who trains the most Drinmore winners? Gordon Elliott, with nine since 1994, including six of the ten from 2016 to 2025. ### How can I watch the Winter Festival? On Racing TV, which shows racing from every Irish course.